"Say, Jim," said he to me, "have you got any canvas up at the house?"
"No," I replied. "What do you want it for?"
"I want to rig up a skate sail. If you have an old sheet, that will do
just as well."
"Well, I guess I can find you an old sheet. Do you think you can make
one?"
"Sure thing," answered Bill, and off we went to the house, where I
received my first lesson on the practical genius of my chum.
[Illustration: Fig. 3. Laying Out the Sail.]
"Bill's" Skate Sail.
The old sheet which Mother furnished us was laid out on the floor and two
corners were folded over to the center as shown in the drawing, making a
triangle with base 7 feet long and sides each about 4 feet 6 inches long.
The surplus end piece was then cut off, and a broad hem turned and basted
all around the edges of the triangle. Bill wanted to work the sewing
machine himself, but Mother was afraid he would break something, so she
sewed down the hem for us. Then, under Bill's supervision, she re-enforced
the corners by sewing on patches of cloth. Along the diagonal a
strip of heavy tape was sewed, leaving loops at intervals, which afterward
were cut and provided means for tying the sail to the mast. Tie strings of
tape were also sewed at the corners, as shown in the illustration, and
then a trip was made to the garden in search of suitable spars.
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